


Conciliation

by SomethingProfound



Series: A Sea of Stars [7]
Category: Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Friendship, Gen, Mass Effect 2: Lair of the Shadow Broker
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-02
Updated: 2021-03-09
Packaged: 2021-03-15 00:34:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,157
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29800257
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SomethingProfound/pseuds/SomethingProfound
Summary: With the Collector threat ended, the human colonies in the Terminus are safe - for now - and Emilia Shepard’s grudging alliance with Cerberus has ended. But an old friend needs help and Shepard finds herself caught up in the galactic underbelly of information brokering, betrayal and mixed loyalties - including her own.
Relationships: Female Shepard & Garrus Vakarian, Female Shepard & Liara T'Soni
Series: A Sea of Stars [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/787740
Comments: 13
Kudos: 18





	1. City Lights

The airlock hissed as it cycled open and Tali blinked against the bright, neon lights of the spaceport. Shepard stepped out, shoulders straight, and Tali glanced over at Garrus. He flicked his mandibles thoughtfully.

“Why does it always seem to be night time when we’re on Illium?”

Getting through the spaceport security was surprisingly easy - a lot easier than a lot of places Tali had come to on her own - though she supposed it made sense. Illium depended on not asking too many questions.

“It’ll be good to see Liara again,” she said. She hadn’t seen her since she’d left the original _Normandy,_ all that time ago in 2183. Liara hadn’t come to - to Shepard’s funeral.

“Mm.” Shepard’s tone was non-committal as she hailed a cab, tapping in the address of Liara’s information brokerage.

Tali frowned at her back. It wasn’t like they had a lot of friends left, and she’d been part of the grim, stressful meetings between the ship’s leadership during first their drift to Omega and then the careful flight to Illium. Meetings deciding what had to be repaired now, what could be left, what could be temporarily patched up, and that was before the question of fuel, supplies and crew pay had come up.

The Illusive Man had made sure they’d be isolated if Shepard left Cerberus, the bosh’tet. Tali really wanted to introduce him to her shotgun.

The ride was quiet as their taxi slipped through the streams of air traffic, lights flashing past them. Even Garrus’ jokes were suppressed by the tense expression on Shepard’s face.

The office was nearly empty when they arrived, most of Liara’s staff gone home for the night. Liara herself, however, was waiting for them, dressed in a sleek dress that matched Illium’s latest fashions, her hands covered in elbow length white gloves. She looked - ageless - as always, but there was something hard in her blue eyes now, even as she stepped forward to hug Tali.

“It’s good to see you,” Tali told her and meant it. It’d been so long since they’d seen each other. Before Alchera, before the funerals - the ones Liara hadn’t attended.

“You too, Tali,” Liara said with a soft smile, one that reminded Tali of the people they’d been back then.

“Liara,” Shepard said, and Liara tensed as she stepped back.

“Shepard. I’ve already transferred the money required for your final repairs - and to refuel,” she lifted her chin.

“Thanks.” The Commander shifted her weight from one foot to the other.

“Congratulations on your success against the Collectors, all of you, and my sympathies.”

“Justiciar Samara died a hero,” Shepard’s mouth flattened into a line.

“She saved my life,” Garrus’ tone was close to gentle, his bright blue eyes flicking between Liara and Shepard’s forms, mirrored in tension.

“It is my honour to make sure she returns to Thessia with the respect she deserves. You don’t need to worry about that,” Liara laced her hands together, “her Order will know what she did.”

“None of us really knew what to do,” Tali admitted. She hadn’t been close to Samara exactly - the Justiciar had been intimidating, her calm, quiet sadness as impenetrable as armour. But she’d been one of the crew and she’d died saving Garrus and his team.

“Would you like to sit down?” Liara asked, “Miranda’s email said you had something further to discuss with me.”

“Yeah.”

They followed Liara through the darkened floor to her office, settling on surprisingly comfortable office chairs. Liara brought up her omnitool, orange light spilling across the planes of her face.

“There, Shepard. The contact details for my new assistant, in case you ever have trouble getting in contact with me. She can make sure you have the funds required for the _Normandy_ if there’s any issues in the future.”

“You can afford it?” Tali frowned underneath her visor. Running ships was expensive, especially ships like the _Normandy._ Even if she hadn’t grown up on the Flotilla, the recent arguments between Shepard and Miranda would have made that clear.

Liara smiled faintly. “My mother was wealthy, even by asari standards, and I do well for myself on Illium.”

“New?” Shepard interrupted, crossing her arms, “what happened to Nyxeris?”

Liara lifted her chin. “She was a spy for the Shadowbroker. Very talented, but her barriers needed work.”

“You killed her? Jesus, Liara-”

Liara’s eyes flashed. “Don’t be hypocritical, Shepard. I’m sure you’ve not forgotten Keera A’Tura, right here on Illium.”

Surprise crossed Shepard’s face, followed by anger. “That was different.”

“Because a government told you to do it?” Liara asked coolly.

“She was a pirate-”

“And Nyxeris was an agent of the Broker who sold your body to the Collectors,” Liara snapped back, “and likely leaked the location of the first _Normandy_ to them in the first place. He’s as much your enemy as he is mine.”

“That’s why we’re here,” Garrus broke in, ignoring Shepard’s sharp glance, “the Shadowbroker, that is.”

Liara blinked. “What?”

Shepard fished the OSD out of her pocket and handed it over. “Intel on the Shadowbroker. Might help you find where the network is run from.”

Liara very nearly snatched it from Shepard’s hand - barely controlling the impulse until Shepard set it in her palm, and then her fingers curled around it, tightly. “How did you…?”

“Cerberus found it. Gave it to me. I’m pretty sure Timmy wants you to take the Broker out.” Shepard crossed her arms again.

Tali didn’t like the idea they were still doing something the Illusive Man wanted, but she had to trust Shepard knew what she was doing.

“You’re right about one thing,” Shepard continued, “the Broker is an enemy. He’s chosen his side, and we can’t let someone with that much intel on the galaxy live.”

Liara connected her omnitool to the OSD. “It appears to be an intercepted transmission and metadata. It’s...it’s about Feron. He’s alive!”

“Your friend,” Shepard said quietly.

“Yes. The one who sacrificed himself so I could escape - with you,” Liara didn’t look at Shepard as she said it. Tali felt as if she was missing half the context for this conversation.

Things had been - easier, after they’d defeated Saren. The _Normandy_ had received a hero’s welcome back to Arcturus Station. They’d all parted as friends.

“Another debt I owe, then.” Shepard glanced out the window, at the flashes of skycar traffic winding past skyscrapers.

“Not your debt, Shepard,” Liara’s voice was heavy, “mine.”

Tali leant forward, awkward in the heavy air hanging between her two friends, “Can you work out where the Shadowbroker is operating from with that?”

“Not personally, but I know an analyst who can help. I’ll send this to him.”

“Call me once you’ve heard back from him and we can work out our next move,” Shepard rose to her feet.

Liara blinked. “You’re going to help me?”

Shepard frowned. “Unless you’ve got another stealth warship and special operations expert standing by…?”

“Thank you.”

“Yeah, well. The Broker needs to be dealt with. C’mon, you two.”

The three of them escaped into the night air of Illium.

* * *

When Shepard stepped into the cargo bay after meeting with Liara, her anger still burning in the pit of her stomach, several of the former Cerberus crew were getting ready to leave the ship. Whatever they’d brought aboard the ship was packed into seabags, very much like the seabag Shepard had carried her life around in back in the Alliance. Colour aside.

They’d let the first group off on Omega - the Cerberus diehards, those who she’d had EDI watch the entire way back from the Omega-4 Relay, even shell-shocked and exhausted as everyone had been.

Kelly had left pretty much the moment they’d docked with a ticket to a quiet colony where she had family. She’d burst into tears when Shepard had broached the topic, had confessed reporting to the Illusive Man, and then sobbed into Shepard’s shoulder for a good fifteen minutes. Everyone had dealt with the whole ordeal differently, but Kelly just hadn’t been coping.

Hopefully time away from the ship amongst people who loved her would help Chambers in a way Shepard couldn’t.

Richard Hadley was the first to notice her. He was still in crutches, but at the sight of the Commander, he determinedly made his way over.

“Ma’am.”

“Hadley. How’s the leg feeling?”

“Hurts like a bitch, and Chakwas says I should be in the cast for another month, but I’m alive.”

“That you are. Got your flight sorted?”

“Yeah. All the way back to Terra Nova. Miranda organised it - and a job for me, can you believe it? I’m gonna be working on the planetary defence systems.”

“That’s great to hear, Hadley. You’ll be missed.” She shook his hand firmly as he balanced carefully on one crutch, “Look after yourself.”

“I will, ma’am.”

Miranda had been mystified, when the crew had trusted her to organise their flights, their cover - and some jobs it seemed. But Shepard thought they all knew Miranda had much more to lose by leaving Cerberus the way she had. There was no going back for the former operative.

Next was Nayyir Mussa. He shook her hand as well. “It’s been an honour working with you Commander. Even if you _are_ a Serrice fan.”

She laughed. “Good luck for the future, Nayyir. Keep safe.”

She shook hands and even gave a few hugs. She’d trusted none of them to begin with - had resented that they weren’t the crew that the Collectors and time had taken from her, but they had followed her into the darkest parts of the galaxy. That deserved some of her goodwill.

“Commander?”

Thane Krios, with his worldly possessions over one shoulder, reached out with one, dark green hand. They shook, his scales cool against her palm.

“I apologise for leaving on the eve of another operation,” he said, voice rasping.

She shook her hand. She hadn’t asked Chakwas for details - it wasn’t her business - but it was clear Thane’s health was taking a turn for the worse. “You did more than enough, Thane. You just worry about yourself and Kolyat.”

The Citadel had his son and a lot of damned good doctors. That was the place for Thane now.

“I will spare some worries for you as well, my friend,” he said with the ghost of a smile, “be well.”

“You as well, Thane.”

Jenny Goldstein waited until her farewells with Thane were done, shifting from foot to foot. Behind her were the two engineers, Daniels and Donnelly.

“Hey,” she raised an eyebrow. They all looked nervous. The same expression she’d sometimes caught on the SR1’s engineers when she got too close to the still they thought she didn’t know about.

“Commander, I - we,” Goldstein glanced back at the engineers, “would like to stay. I know a lot of the ground crew and Joker are, and so would we.”

“Jenny,” she said slowly, “I can’t exactly offer you a retirement package.”

“We know,” Gabby broke in.

“We all joined Cerberus because well - we wanted to serve with you, protect the colonies,” Goldstein winced, “and our Alliance careers were over. That still holds true. The Alliance isn’t gonna take us back, especially not now, and I want to help. I can’t just...sit at home back on Earth, knowing what’s coming. Ma’am.”

“As long as you know what you’re getting yourselves into,” Shepard warned, “we don’t have a lot of friends left.”

“We know, boss,” Donnelly said, determined, “and we know we want to be on this ship.”

“Alright, alright. Let Miranda know and she can set up everything.”

“You won’t regret this, Commander.”

“Goldstein,” she said, stopping the other woman.

“Yes, ma’am?”

“I am very sorry about Vadim.”

Goldstein and Vadim Rolston had been close friends, hanging out in the mess hall and messing with Gardner. And from what Chakwas had said, Goldstein had been among the crew members who’d watched, helpless and paralyzed, when the Collectors had executed Rolston.

Goldstein swallowed and raised her chin. “Thanks. I’m going to make sure his daughter always knows how amazing he was, and that he was always thinking about her.”

Shepard hadn’t even known Rolston had had a daughter. Something like regret twisted in her gut.

As she watched them leave, Shepard wondered if she really deserved their respect and loyalty.


	2. Complications

The skycar hummed, weaving through traffic. Garrus gritted his teeth - was driving like crazy part of Spectre training? The glass facets of the skyscrapers flashed past his window. Beside him, Shepard had her arms crossed, her eyes fixed on Tela Vasir, like a shatha regarding something it was still deciding was a threat or a meal.

Given they’d been meeting Liara for a chat, neither Garrus or Shepard were in full battle rattle. Garrus was just glad he was wearing a clip on and sidearm. From the way Shepard’s jacket stretched, he suspected she was wearing a vest underneath.

He was itching for his Phaeston right now, but Shepard had judged speed more important.

“Dracon Trade Centre isn’t too far away,” Vasir said.

“You know anything about this Sekat?” Shepard asked.

The asari shrugged. The Spectre symbol splashed over her shoulder gleamed in the low light. She had a loose, easy arrogance to her movements, at odds with both Shepard’s tightly wound intensity and Isalus’ rigid discipline. “He’s an analyst with Baria Frontiers. Salarian.”

“Good thing you were in the area,” Shepard said mildly, but Garrus knew her well enough to read the question on her face.

And Vasir was clearly perceptive enough to pick it up, mouth curling into a smile. “You know how it is. The Council wants your sole loyalty, but back home they want to - take _advantage_ of having a Spectre they think is theirs. Most of the time it’s not worth saying no.”

“Don’t want to burn bridges you might need to cross,” Shepard muttered.

“No idea what that means,” Vasir said with another shrug, “but yeah, I find it better to keep the Matriarchs on side.”

“And what’s that got to do with Liara?” Garrus asked.

“She’s attracted some attention from the Matriarchs in regards to one of my cases. Just need to talk to her.”

“Let’s just hope we get there before any more of the Shadowbroker’s assassins do.”

“This could get really messy,” Garrus warned, “There’s enough workaholics on Illium,” or enough indentured servants without a choice, “to make sure there’ll still be a lot of people in the tower.”

“Noted,” Shepard said grimly. “I’ll try calling her again.”

Like all the other previous calls and messages, Shepard got only silence in response. Shepard dropped her hand away from her omnitool with a heavy sigh.

“She’ll be okay,’’ Garrus told her.

“She should’ve come to the _Normandy_ or called me or something - not run off after data without back-up,” Shepard muttered, shutting her omnitool off.

“It’s not like you two have been on the best of terms lately,” he pointed out.

Shepard glared at him. “That doesn’t mean I wouldn’t have helped her. She should know me better than that.”

He had nothing to say to that.

The skycar arced down and towards a ten story building, all sleek glass and metal. Vasir set the car down in the outside carpark, in front of a plaza still filled with crowds of people of every species - humans in dark suits, salarians in formal tunics, asari everywhere. More than a few gave the three of them - all of them armed and two in armour - wary glances as they climbed the stairs towards the entrance.

“The Baria Frontier offices are on the third floor. No one seems alarmed - and there’s no police chatter. Maybe we missed the party.”

“Or it hasn’t started yet,” Shepard tilted her head back to look up at the tower, “We should-”

Whatever Shepard thought they should do was swallowed up when the third floor exploded in a thunder. All Garrus could hear was the shatter of glass and the shriek of metal - he threw himself down, tasting acrid smoke at the back of his throat as shrapnel and glass shards pinged off his shields. When he lifted his head, black smoke was billowing from the building, sparks drifting down like fireflies.

Then the screams started.

Shepard was beside him, helping him to his feet. The workers in the plaza hadn’t had the luxury of kinetic barriers - it was a scene of sentient wreckage as the shell shocked, bleeding survivors picked themselves up off the ground or simply laid there.

“Fuck,” she said simply.

“They just took out a whole floor to make sure your friend is dead,” Vasir said behind them, fitting her helmet over her head. “I’ll seal off the building from the top.”

“We’ll go up from the ground floor, then,” Shepard agreed, and the other Spectre sprinted back towards the car. “Garrus, with me.”

They stepped past a human man kneeling over a groaning salarian. Garrus pulled his gun out and took the safety off. If the Shadowbroker was this ruthless, he wouldn’t be surprised if they ran into assassins sent to ensure Liara was dead.

_“Commander, are you well? I have registered an explosion in your vicinity,”_ EDI’s voice buzzed in their ears.

“I’m fine. The Shadowbroker has bombed the trade building. Alert Nos Astra authorities of what’s happened - and that it’s a mass casualty event. Garrus and I are going in to try and find Liara.”

Mass cas. There were going to be a lot of Nos Astra police, firefighters and paramedics working overtime tonight. And a lot of knocks on doors. Garrus had always preferred digging in the rubble to making the knock.

_“Shepard, it may be best to wait for Nos Astra emergency services. The building may be unstable after an explosion of that magnitude.”_

“I know, EDI, but Liara’s in there,” Shepard’s voice dropped but it was steely with determination.

_“Understood, Commander,”_ it didn’t sound like EDI approved. _“Anything else?”_

“Have Miranda put together a team and stand to the shuttle. We might need the backup - or the speedy exit.”

Garrus rushed up the stairs and pushed into the trade centre’s foyer. Garbled announcements stuttered out of the speakers and lights flickered. Shellshocked people were on the ground, many bleeding. Everything smelt of smoke and blood.

“You need to move,” he pitched his voice to be heard over the chaos, “if you can walk, help those who can’t! Evacuate the building!”

It’d been a while since he’d pulled out the police officer voice.

* * *

The emergency sprinklers were on, soaking Shepard’s hair and causing droplets to slide under her collar. At least it dampened the smoke - and the smell of blood. They’d found survivors on the first floor, less on the second. Now there were just more and more bodies the closer they got to the epicenter of the explosion.

She’d seen this shit before. Didn’t make it any prettier, especially when they still hadn’t found Liara.

The building groaned every so often, but she couldn’t let herself think about it. She’d made her choice to come in. She wished she had her hardsuit on though. Damn water was cold. Plus, the extra armour between any potential bullets and her vital organs would be great - as would a rifle.

She rounded a corner, pistol raised. Four mercenaries in unmarked armour were waiting. The corridor filled with the whine of assault rifle fire - Shepard hastily pulled back behind the door frame as her shields flickered blue around her. Bullets flashed past her and crunched into the far wall.

Shepard glanced over at Garrus and raised four fingers. He nodded and then jerked his head towards a different door. She immediately got what he meant - there was an office through there with an open window. Thanks to open office planning, he could flank them.

But he’d need a distraction. She nodded and then fired blindly around the corner. _Bang, bang, bang._ Counting her shots. The retort of an AR burst forcing her back. She had no idea how sturdy these walls really were. Again, sticking her hand around and firing. Another two shots. Someone shouted, his helmet distorted voice echoing off the walls.

A disc like grenade clattered around the corner. In a moment, Shepard recognised it. Flashbang. As soon as it went off, they’d rush her.

Yeah, fuck that.

Trusting that Garrus would be where she needed him, she threw herself around the corner, Phalanx pistol raised and her barrier wrapped around her, purple-blue light coating every limb. The flashbang went off behind her, filling her ears with ringing.

She got off two shots into the nearest mercenary before they focused on her, bullets slamming into her barrier. She had seconds before she couldn’t keep this up-

The window looking into the nearby office shattered into thousands of shards. Garrus had killed the merc closest to him before they could respond. Taken by surprise, the three survivors hesitated - and then clearly decided to beat a retreat.

Shepard helped them along - tossing out a thundering wave of biotic energy, tossing the three of them around like bowling pins. The closest one groaned as he climbed to his knees, reaching for his rifle. She fired the rest of her clip into his back, popping his shields and putting two through his armour.

Garrus shot one of the others as she reloaded. The final merc turned and ran, only to tumble down when Garrus fired again and didn’t miss.

Shepard turned the dead mercenary at her feet over. He wore a full faceplate with faintly glowing optics that hid his face and eyes. There was nothing distinguishing about his armour or equipment, no name tags or personal effects. He’d died completely anonymous.

She took his thermal clips, shoving them into any pocket that could fit them.

“We should keep moving,” Garrus told her, “we don’t want to get into a protracted firefight.”

She nodded and moved past him to the next doorway, checking the next hallway down the barrel of her Phalanx. “Clear.”

“Moving.”

There was something very easy about working with someone you knew as well as they knew each other. They moved quickly, methodically, barely having to speak.

This floor of the building was badly damaged, wind whistling through where the bomb had punched out windows and walls, the floors slick with water from the emergency fire suppression system. They found only bodies now - and the odd mercenary clearly searching for the same person they were. That made it a little easier for them, since the Shadowbroker forces weren’t set up to defend.

She could hear distant sirens drifting in the shattered windows.

“C’mon, Liara,” she murmured to herself, “where are you?”

Then - a muffled gunshot. And another. Garrus pointed at a nearby door and she nodded. They took up positions either side of the door, and then he hit the button to open it. They rushed in, guns raised -

A salarian was slumped against the wall, staring with open, glassy eyes. He’d been shot in the chest. And Tela Vasir stood in the opposite doorway, one of the Shadowbroker operatives dead at her feet.

The other Spectre angrily holstered her pistol. “One second faster and -”

“It happens,” Shepard knelt beside the dead salarian, recognising him from Liara’s message. “Looks like Sekat.”

“Looks like it.”

Garrus stood by the door, keeping a lookout for further assassins.

Shepard quickly searched the body. The blood had soaked into his green business robe and stained her hands. Nothing, except a credit chit. She rose to her feet and wiped her hands on her pants. “No sign of the intel. We should search the office to be sure, but it might be a dead end.”

Perhaps Liara had already gotten the data? Or…?

“Speaking of which, did you find your friend’s body?”

Shepard’s jaw clenched and she turned to respond.

“You mean this body?”

Liara appeared out of the other doorway, face dripping with water, and mouth twisted angrily, pistol raised - pointed directly at Vasir’s head. At close range, the Spectre would be lucky if her shields even triggered.

Shepard took a step back - out of the line of fire, laying her hand on the butt of her pistol. “Something I should know?”

“This is the sniper who tried to kill me, Shepard.”

Vasir tilted her chin, a small smile on her face to show little concern about the weapon pointed at her face, but her eyes were deadly with intent. “You’ve had a rough day, so I’ll let that slide. Why don’t you put that gun down?”

“I doubled back after I left - I saw you break into my apartment!”

Shepard sighed and lifted her pistol. On Liara’s other side, Garrus did the same. “You needed me to find where Liara had gone for you.”

Something about Vasir had felt off but Shepard had gone along with it - because what? She’d trusted that they had the same master, that another Spectre would have the same goals? If she could go and work for fucking Cerberus, what was stopping Vasir from working with the Shadowbroker?

Self-recrimination could come later.

“Thanks for the help,” Vasir said coldly.

“Once she had my location, she signalled the Shadowbroker’s forces. They bombed the building.”

All this fucking death.

“Kinda expected better from another Spectre,” Shepard said dryly, “this was sloppy. All this collateral damage and you didn’t even wound your target.”

“As one Spectre to another,” Vasir fixed her gaze on Shepard, “walk away. Professional courtesy.”

“You tried to kill my friend,” Shepard said softly, “you’ve murdered potentially hundreds of innocent people here. You’re working for the man who betrayed my crew and ship to the Collectors. Put your gun and the OSD on the ground and I won’t shoot you for it.”

“Yeah,” Vasir tilted her head, “that’s not going to happen.”

The Spectre suddenly blazed with biotic light, the whole room reverberating with it - and Liara barely got a barrier up in time to deflect the shockwave of biotic energy.

Vasir took off at a sprint, disappearing through the doorway.

Shepard scrambled after her, pistol in hand, out into the open office space of Baria Frontiers - now extra open, courtesy of the bomb. She focused on Vasir’s blue painted back, thought _this is going to hurt,_ and pushed open the mass effect corridor between _here_ and _there._

In the next moment she slammed into Vasir, pain bursting across her body. The other Spectre went down with Shepard’s weight on top of her, but she came up swinging. Her elbow collided with Shepard’s jaw, white light dancing across her vision - but Shepard held on grimly, slamming the butt of her pistol into Vasir’s unprotected face. Their biotic fields clashed, hazing over everything in blue.

There was only so much an unarmoured person could do against someone in combat armour. Shepard needed to kill her and quickly. Vasir was armoured and a powerful biotic.

“Shepard!” Garrus shouted from across the room.

She tried to push away, give him a clear shot, but Vasir swept her legs from under her and they went crashing back to ground. Every hit she took was a new burst of pain - she could taste blood. She scrambled back to her feet, deflecting a blow meant for her chin.

And then - Vasir grabbed her by the shoulder and _shoved -_

There was the jagged edge of the building, the three storey drop.

Shepard lashed out, grabbed Vasir by the webbing even as her footing crumbled, and dragged her over the edge with her.

They fell.

* * *

“Shepard!” Garrus’ voice rang through the destroyed office, anxious. Liara ran to the edge of the building and peered over. There - Shepard, an unmoving lump of black and grey, Vasir walking towards her with gun in hand.

A surge of anger ran through Liara from head to toe. It was the same rage that had kept her going these last few years, after everything had broken above Alchera, after the bridges she’d burnt, after giving her friend’s body to terrorists. After the way the matriarchs had collectively closed their ears, preferring to let Benezia be the scapegoat than consider that they needed to act.

After years of dreaming about the gun in her hand the day her mother died, of Feron’s face when he’d sacrificed himself.

Liara launched herself off the edge. She wrapped her biotics around her to slow her descent and landed in between Shepard and Vasir. The other asari was bleeding from a laceration across her cheek, courtesy of Shepard.

Vasir took one look at her and turned to run.

Liara glanced behind her, just once. Shepard was moving, pushing herself up on her hands and knees. She was alive and Garrus would be on his way.

Liara made her choice and ran after Vasir. They had to get the data. Mission first, Shepard had taught her that.

The gardens around the Dracon trade centre were eerily quiet. The surrounding area must have been evacuated - she could hear the distant sound of sirens and the odd flash of lights. Nos Astra’s authorities trying to get the scene under control, unaware of what they’d stumbled into.

She vaulted over a flower bed, zeroing in on the flash of white and blue ahead. She got off a single shot but the Spectre was already ducking behind a doorway.

Liara gritted her teeth and pursued again, pushing through the burn in her legs, the bruises from the explosion. She’d been lucky - Sekat hadn’t been.

She sprinted out of the corridor between the gardens and the carpark - and there was Vasir. There was nowhere to go now. Liara allowed herself a grim smile.

Then Vasir turned, rifle shouldered.

_Goddess -_ she ducked behind a skycar as the rifle roared. The skycar’s windows shattered, the whole chassis shuddering under the assault. Liara poked out of cover the moment she heard a pause in fire, popping off a few shots and forcing Vasir into cover.

Goddess, she wished Shepard and Garrus had brought their own rifles.

Vasir had reloaded - it was Liara’s turn to scramble back into cover. Rounds flashed overhead.

She heard running footsteps and more gunfire. Shepard and Garrus, emerging out of the same corridor. Shepard was limping and scowling, but in one piece.

Liara expected Vasir to shift fire onto the new arrivals but instead a skycar rose above the carpark platform.

“Damn it!”

“Here,” Garrus called, his omnitool glowing orange around his wrist. He’d unlocked a taxi. She didn’t wait to ask how a police officer knew _that_ trick, she just threw herself into one of the seats.

“I’m driving,” Shepard announced, sliding into the driver’s seat. Garrus just jumped into the back, his knees bumping against Liara’s seat back. Her dark eyes slid over to Liara. “I’m fine by the way, thanks for asking.”

“She’s getting away!” Liara said urgently. They could deal with - everything else, later.

The taxi rose and jerked to the right, peeling off after Vasir.


End file.
